Deadline is reporting that after a long vetting process, Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) is sealing the deal to play Roland Deschain in the film/TV adaptations of Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower” series. Director Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon) is in the stages of pre-production, preparing to start filming in September and is also slated to direct the first season of the planned TV series, which is slated to be released between the planned film trilogy.
The series centers on Deschain, the last surviving member from a legendary gunslinging order of knights in a world where technology (akin to the old West) and magic coexist. Finding himself the last hope for humanity (duh), Deschain sets out to find The Dark Tower, a place where the axis of all worlds rotate, encountering various locations and characters on his route.
Bardem is a strong choice for the project. Not unfamiliar to a Western landscape (Old Men) or characters with shrouded pasts (Old Men and Biutiful), he has a “dusty” feel to him that looks to be right at home in King’s expansive world. With at least three films/TV seasons being planned, expect to see much more of Bardem from all angles in the coming years -- provided the first film is a rousing success.
